Your unique chance to be part of a true expedition voyage! A true expedition, our Weddell Sea cruise sets out to explore the range of the Emperor Penguins near Snow Hill Island. The Emperor Penguin rookery (ca. 4,000 breeding pairs) is situated south of Snow Hill Island. We will visit the area via helicopter and see a variety of other birds and penguins including Adélies and Gentoos. Although we will probably not be able to reach that far south through the ice (less than 50% chance based on the voyages over the last three seasons), the idea is mainly to situate ourselves in or between the Antarctic Sound and James Ross Island, close to the ice-edge and observe the emperor penguins on their way to the open water. We will use helicopters in our attempts to search for individual emperor penguins, to make scenic flights and to make helicopter landings in places otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.

Testimonials

“We had an absolutely amazing trip! Surtrek coordinated a Galapagos Cruise on the Natural Paradise yacht and then a stay at the Napo Wildlife Center. Everything was beyond our expectations!! I highly recommend Surtrek.”Janda Terese Stevens

Ortelius: Detailed Itinerary

In the afternoon, we embark in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world located at the Beagle Channel and sail through this scenic waterway for the rest of the evening.

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Dinner

Day 2

At Sea

During these two days, we will sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area, we may meet Wandering Albatrosses, Grey-headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 3

At Sea

During these two days, we will sail across the Drake Passage. When we cross the Antarctic Convergence, we arrive in the circum-Antarctic up welling zone. In this area, we may meet Wandering Albatrosses, Grey-headed Albatrosses, Black-browed Albatrosses, Light-mantled Albatrosses, Cape Petrels, Southern Fulmars, Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Blue Petrels and Antarctic Petrels.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 4

The Weddell Sea (A typical trip)

We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages, we were always able to locate emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us – helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.

A possible landing site is, for example, Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls and tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above, and beautiful volcanic creations, the scene is complete with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes, and a few Gentoo’s mixed in for fun.

Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice flows; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.

A beautiful helicopter flight over huge blue icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.

If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.

On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-flows. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 5

The Weddell Sea (A typical trip)

We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages, we were always able to locate emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us – helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.

A possible landing site is, for example, Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls, tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above and beautiful volcanic creations, the scene is completed with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes, and a few Gentoo’s mixed in for fun.

Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice flows; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.

A beautiful helicopter flight over huge blue icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.

If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.

On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-flows. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

Read More

Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 6

The Weddell Sea (A typical trip)

We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages, we were always able to locate emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us - helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.

A possible landing site is, for example, Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls, tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above and beautiful volcanic creations, the scene is completed with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes, and a few Gentoo’s mixed in for fun.

Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice flows; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.

A beautiful helicopter flight over huge blue icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.

If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.

On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-flows. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

Read More

Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 7

The Weddell Sea (A typical trip)

We will sail into the Weddell Sea and if the Antarctic Sound is accessible and the ice does not prevent us to sail further, we might see the huge tabular icebergs that announce our arrival to the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula. During these days we use the helicopters in our attempts to find individual Emperor Penguins. During our previous voyages, we were always able to locate emperors. We will also offer scenic flights and – if the conditions allow us – helicopter landings on tabular ice-bergs and locations otherwise inaccessible so early in the season.

A possible landing site is, for example, Brown Bluff, probably the most scenic spot in the entire northern tip of the Antarctic Continent. With steep canyon walls, tumbled boulders, an ice-cap looming above, and beautiful volcanic creations, the scene is completed with thousands of Adélie penguins nesting on the slopes, and a few Gentoo’s mixed in for fun.

Helicopter flights are a great contribution to the voyage, for example on the west side of the Antarctic Sound, an area usually only rarely seen from the air. The scenery is stunning with landscapes of layered sandstones, lava flows, glaciers tumbling into the sea and ice-bergs and pack-ice as far as the eye can see. We can observe individual Emperor Penguins and Adélie Penguins on the ice flows; Cape-, Snow, and Giant Petrels fly high in the sky while Kelp Gulls, skuas and Wilson’s Storm Petrels scavenge down below us. The landscape is dominated by Jagged mountains pierced through the ice-caps and walls of ice dropped onto the slopes below.

A beautiful helicopter flight over huge blue icebergs and fast ice can also be made close to View Point in Duse Bay. We land on a rocky hillock close to an old refuge hut overlooking the bay. There will be still a lot of snow and ice but much of the intended walk on the Antarctic continent will be over a beautiful frost-shattered rock, almost entirely covered with the most fascinating lichen of all shapes and colors.

If the ice-situation allows us to go further into the Weddell Sea area, we will visit Devil Island and Vega Island with a large colony of Adélie Penguins and a magnificent view for those hikers who can make it to the top of the hill. Melting ice sometimes provides spectacular waterfall from the cliffs close to point ‘Well-Met’. Further south, we may also visit Seymour Island, where many fossils can be found.

On our way north through the Antarctic Sound we might pay a visit to the Argentinean station Esperanza on the Antarctic Continent. We will still look out for Emperor Penguins on the ice-flows. In the afternoon we may visit Gourdin Island, with three penguin species; Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adélie.

Read More

Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 8

Half Moon Island / Deception Island

In the morning we plan to visit Half Moon Island where we can see Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins, various other bird-species as well as a chance for Southern elephant seals and Weddell seals. Early in the afternoon, we will sail to Deception Island where we have the last landing of our voyage at Pendulum Cove or Whalers Bay.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 9

At Sea

In the Drake Passage, we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds and to take advantage of the knowledge of our lecture team.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 10

At Sea

In the Drake Passage, we have again a chance of seeing many seabirds and to take advantage of the knowledge of our lecture team.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 11

Ushuaia

In the morning, we will arrive in Ushuaia and disembark.

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Breakfast

Ortelius: Prices

2018 - Price per person

Days

Deluxe

Porthole

Superior

Windows

Double

Double

Triple

Quadruple

Double

Double

11

US$ 14,800

US$ 13,550

US$ 12,800

US$ 11,550

US$ 15,600

US$ 14,150

Included in the price:

Voyage aboard the indicated vessel as indicated in the itinerary

All meals throughout the voyage aboard the ship including snacks, coffee and tea

All shore excursions and activities throughout the voyage by Zodiac

Program of lectures by noted naturalists and leadership by experienced expedition staff

Free use of rubber boots

Luggage transfer from pick-up point to the vessel on the day of embarkation, in Ushuaia

Pre-scheduled group transfer from the vessel to the airport in Ushuaia (directly after disembarkation)